False Solomon's Seal - Identification, Description, Edible and Medicinal Uses

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False Solomon's Seal - Maianthemum racemosum formerly Smilacina racemosa

Some indigenous people in BC considered false Solomon's seal to be the food of snakes and avoided them, but they actually have some edible and medicinal uses!

Identification of False Solomon's Seal

False Solomon's seal spread by rhizomes and grow and unbranched stalks 1-3 feet long. False Solomon's seal has alternate leaves that are oblong or elliptical in shape, have smooth edges, clasp the stem, and are 5-15 cm long. False Solomon's seal's flowers and berries are in clusters at the end of the stalk. The flowers are creamy-white coloured. The berries start out green with brown mottling and turn red when ripe.

There are two other related species, starry Solomon's seal/star-flowered false Solomon's seal - Maianthemum stellatum and Solomon's seal - Polygonatum spp. According to some herbalists, these plants can be used interchangeably.

*Warning - Poisonous look-alike! There is a poisonous look-alike, false hellebore - Veratrum spp. which looks similar early in the spring.

False Solomon's Seal is Edible

Young greens, fleshy rhizomes, and ripe berries of false Solomon's seal are edible and were eaten by different indigenous groups across Canada. Some groups cooked the rhizomes like potatoes and harvested and cooked the young shoots like asparagus.

Medicinal Uses for False Solomon's Seal

False Solomon's seal is cooling, demulcent, and expectorant. Demulcents are soothing to mucous membranes. These properties make false Solomon's seal potentially useful for treating things like sore throats, coughs, and helping to clear the lungs. False Solomon's seal has also been used to help repair joints and connective tissue by lubricating and moistening them and helping to restore alignment. A tea or tincture made from the roots has been used for these applications.

The leaves have also been used to make a decoction which has been used to treat itchy rashes.

Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!

References

Kloos, Scott. Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants. Timber Press, Inc. 2017

MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.

Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018

Wiles, Briana. Mountain States Medicinal Plants. Timber Press Inc. 2018.